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Saturday, 16 June 2012

Simple Kerala Style Potato Stew (ishtu)

A very simple dish from the southern part of India, a small state called Kerala,God's Own Country!!.The main ingredient i have chosen today is potato and of course the coconut milk ,which is essentially part of the stew or ishtu as known regionally.The ishtu is also a part of the traditional Kerala lunch called sadya.(want to know more about Kerala?? Pls check wikipedia and tourism and also Pictures).Ishtu is also a part of the onasadya.Onam is the main festival of Kerala and ishtu is served in a very small quantity among the many other items.I would also like to add that originally ishtu used to be made by extracting coconut milk from a freshly grated coconut. But in today's busy lifestyle everybody takes the easy way out.

There are also many other varieties of stew like mixed vegetable stew,mutton stew,chicken stew etc.
In my home it was always the potato stew with appam( lacy pancake).I also like it with idlis and dosas.
I would love to try the chicken or mutton stew variety but that i am keeping for later.. I already have a backlog of " to try " recipes!!

In a deep saucepan put in the onions,green chillies, ginger,water and let it just come to a boil..(you may also do this boiling in thin coconut milk)As soon as bubbles start appearing add in the mashed potato and let it boil again.Now add the coconut milk and salt and stir well and let it boil.Lower the heat and simmer for a minute.Tip in the curry leaves and pour the coconut oil on top.That will give the authentic Kerala taste to your ishtu!!Turn off the stove.

That's it.. your ishtu is ready to serve!!
You can try it with hot steamed rice too though i prefer it with lacy pancakes,string hoppers,idlis or dosas!!!

Thank you for stopping by my blog and taking time to read the post.Hope it has been useful to you.Do let me know by leaving a comment below.It will take only a few seconds to leave a comment but the happiness and encouragement it will give me will last long!Thank you.Cheers,Renu